Rooted in God
by amorveritas
Summary: Tom learns that obedience isn't the same as slavery, and that things really are better when you're rooted in God


**Rooted in God**

_A story for the flower in every Evergreen-dweller._

Tom wandered the desert, looking for an oasis to drink from. His face was wilting, his stem was shriveled, and his roots were tired from all the walking. He had been roaming for weeks now, looking for a place to call home. Life in the desert was hard on the daisy; it was hard on all plant life. The oases were few and far between, and even then, there wasn't any rest there.

Sure, there was plenty of water to drink and palm trees to hide from the sun under, but it was too crowded. All of plantdom seemed to be drawn to these spots, and as a result, there was no room to settle down and rest. No place to let your roots set and drawn nourishment.

The roses would push to the front of the lines, insisting they go before anyone else; the violets and petunias would bicker over who was prettier; and God forbid someone cross the briar patches. Tom wanted none of that. All he wanted was a quiet place, a place where folk could get along and not argue.

Tom panted as he came upon the peak of the dune he was climbing. The desert floor was spread before him like a blanket of orange. And display proudly in the center of the valley was a giant Evergreen tree. Tom marveled at the odd sight before him. He had heard of the Evergreen before, how other flowers would find refuge underneath His branches, where water was a plentiful and the scorching sun was held back like a dam holds back water.

He had always laughed off the stories before. Some foolish morning glory or tulip would walk into an oasis and make these strange claims, not realizing how foolish they sounded. Why would there be an Evergreen in the desert? But sure enough, the Evergreen was before him like a beacon.

Tom started down the dune toward the Evergreen. He was weary from travel, and was exhausted enough to at least see if the claims he had heard were true. Tom sighed. He was going to be a laughingstock if someone found out what he was trying. But better to die from humiliation later than dehydration now.

The sun grew overhead as the hours past on. It was taking longer than Tom thought to make it to the Evergreen. But soon the shadow of the giant Tree was cast about him and Tom sighed a breath of relief. It was already cooler, causing Tom to hasten his pace. Maybe this Evergreen-dweller gig wouldn't be so bad.

When Tom drew closer, he realized the ground was changing. The rough granules of sand and pebbles were changing into a soft, dark mass. Could it be? Was it really soil? Tom had heard of this mythical substance before; but here it was, beneath his feet. This was starting to turn into a great idea.

Tom began running into flowers of all types. Roses, tulips, and violets; even other daisies. There had to be thousands of flowers resting in the shade of the Evergreen, but there was still ample space for a flower to spread his roots out and rest on the ground. The sunlight that pierced through the Evergreen's branches was like a gentle mist that nourished instead of burned. And Tom couldn't say enough about the soil. It was so soft and so moist that Tom knew he never wanted to go to another oasis again and wait in line for a few drinks in the pond.

Tom rested underneath the Evergreen for several days. He made several new friends, soaked up some of the best water and sunlight he had ever tasted, and began to feel like he was several seasons younger. These Evergreen-dwellers were a pretty good bunch, and he believed what they had to say.

One day, a lovely little daisy strolled up to Tom. "Hi, I'm Sarah," the daisy introduced herself. "I'm Tom," Tom replied. "It's nice to meet you."

Sarah smiled as she asked, "Some of the flowers and I are tilling the ground on the other side of the Evergreen to make a new flowerbed, and I was wondered if you'd be willing to help us. You'd be given room in the new bed if you wanted it." Tom thought for a moment. Having a place to call his own would be wonderful, and if his bed had pretty flowers like Sarah in it, it would be even better. "Sure," Tom answered, "Why not?"

Tom made his way with Sarah to the other side of the Evergreen. Along the way, Tom saw several flowers doing something unspeakable. There were dozens of flowers rooted several inches into the ground, all the way up to their stems! It was astounding. Hadn't they ever heard of walking?

"Have any of these flowers heard of walking before?" Tom asked Sarah. Sarah replied, "Sure they have, but they're rooting right now."

"Why would anyone want to do that?"

"They're trying to grow closer to the Evergreen, to discover what He has in store for them."

Tom stared at Sarah for a moment. It was almost repulsive what she was telling him. He had evolved beyond his ancestors; he didn't need to root himself in place. There was a whole world to see and explore. One couldn't do that standing still.

"Do they ever move?" Tom asked wearily. He wasn't so sure if he liked this anymore.

"Of course, silly. The Evergreen likes to talk to each one of us, and the only way to do that is to root into the ground beneath Him. He doesn't want us to be trapped in place, if that's what you're asking, but He does ask us to talk with Him at least once a day. These flowers here are going on a mission to an oasis far away from here, and they're drawing nutrients from the Evergreen so they can be effective until they can come back."

Tom's petals drooped as he heard this news. If there was one thing Tom couldn't stand, it was someone trying to force him to do something he didn't want to do. And becoming rooted in place was Tom's biggest fear. Tom stopped walking.

"Sarah, uh, I've changed my mind. I'm, uh, going to be leaving soon, so maybe I'm not the best flower to help you out."

Sarah looked puzzled at Tom, but Tom had already turned and started walking away. Tom kept walking until he was back in the desert, free from the Evergreen's shade and all of the fruity flowers beneath Him. What kind of place was that, forcing you to do something against your will like that? And most of those crazy flowers didn't see anything wrong with it. They were like sheep, being herded around by that stupid tree. As he walked away, he ran into a very old rose who was walking toward the Evergreen.

"Well now, young one. Where are you off to in a huff like that?" she asked.

Tom answered, "Anywhere away from that Tree."

"Why is that?"

"Because those flowers living beneath the Tree are crazy, that's why. They're all so, trusting, of that Tree. They're willing to give up their freedom for that Tree. It's like a cult or something. I don't want anything to do with that place."

The rose smiled as she heard Tom's excuses. She looked into Tom's eyes as spoke to him. "Are you sure about that? You may not believe it, but I was in your shoes once. I came to the Evergreen, had a great time, and then ran out of there like you are, afraid of the very same things. And I spent years going from oasis to oasis, looking for another place to call home, but nothing came close to the Evergreen. Everything pales against what the Evergreen has to offer."

"Spare me the story, old lady. I'm not going back. Not now; not ever."

The rose smiled sadly. "Then answer yourself this question. Were you ever forced to root while you were at the Evergreen, or told that you would be forced to in order to stay at the Evergreen?"

Tom shook his head. The rose reached her leaf out and touched Tom's. "That's because you aren't going to be forced to do anything. The Evergreen wants you to know Him desperately, but He won't force you to. He'll let you choose if and when you want to make contact. But would it really be that bad to learn a little bit about the Tree that provides such astounding rest and nourishment?"

The rose turned and walked away, leaving Tom standing by himself. Tom stood there, dumbfounded. Tom had spent too many seasons roaming the desert to even hope there was a place that could compare to the Evergreen. Guardedly, he turned and began following the rose back to the Evergreen. As long as he wasn't going to be forced into anything, it really was a nice place to be.

When Tom returned, he found himself next to where Sarah and the others were tilling the ground. Sarah smiled as she saw Tom walk over and pick up a hoe and work on an open piece of ground.

That night, Tom decided in his head he was going to try and root. Just a little bit, to see what everyone was talking about, because everyone seemed to think it was the greatest thing in the world to root with the Evergreen. Tom closed his eyes and slowly sunk his roots into the ground. Almost immediately, Tom noticed a change. The soil became richer, feeding him like never before, and the heat from the soil seemed to warm his body and his soul.

Tom opened his eyes, and realized the sun was high in the sky. Had he really spent all night with the Evergreen? Tom jumped out of the soil and ran toward the edge of the Evergreen. He had been tricked. He may have voluntarily initiated contact, but the Evergreen didn't have to make him lose track of time, and of himself.

Looking out into the desert, Tom wrestled in his mind. He really did enjoy moving from place to place whenever he felt like, and the thought of losing that made him want to leave immediately. But Tom also knew the hardships that came with life on the open desert. And Tom didn't want to carry those anymore. The days he spent with the Evergreen showed him that it was ridiculous to bear those hardships when you didn't have to.

Tom looked back to where he had rooted the night before. It really hadn't been as hard as he had thought it would be, and what he had found, he didn't want to lose. Just one night with the Evergreen made him stronger and gave him more rest than he had ever had in his entire life. What would years bring to him? It was his choice, after all. And Tom knew deep down that with the Evergreen, there was nothing he needed to worry about.


End file.
